It now must be completed
THE Murray Basin Rail Project (MBRP) has been decades in gestation.
In 2007, Tim Fischer (then Deputy Prime Minister) was commissioned by the state government to conduct a review of all country rail lines in Victoria.
Rail lines were graded in importance and, as a result, many lines were closed, whilst others were promised upgrade and standardisation by 2018.
Our own Manangatang line has been in such dangerous condition that freight trains have been able to travel at only 15 to 20 kilometres per hour, for the past 30 years.
The current government in their wisdom, however, have decided otherwise.
Their recommendation in the MBRP business case review (most of with which we strongly disagree), that the project cannot be justified on a “value for money basis”, is particularly galling, disturbing and insulting.
By extension of this statement, we can only take it that we, primary producers, are not valued, either as an industry, a community or even, simply, Victorians who happen to live rurally.
How can Victorian dryland grain growers provide low cost, high quality food to the entire population of Melbourne, put the remaining two thirds of our produce on ships to export around the world, and then be deemed “not value for money”? These excuses only reinforce this misunderstood and unjust situation.
Revised road and rail infrastructure is imperative for the very commercial and social survival of our people.
This rail upgrade will reduce supply chain costs and grow both Victoria’s and Australia’s economy.
The MBRP was planned, promised, and funded. It is a national infrastructure program. It must be completed.
All export grain must go by rail from our region. Rail use will reduce road congestion, risk and pollution in cities, suburbs and ports.
Australia relies on mining and agriculture (50 per cent of our export income) to pay for the vast array of manufactured goods that we, as a country, import.
We farmers feed our cities, but we cannot continue without upgraded transport infrastructure. We, as a people, have very few services or amenities. We have to travel and so does the food we produce.
We are told we are an essential service.
All we ask is that the government treat us that way by providing us with safe, efficient, viable, transport infrastructure. Victorian grain growing districts have had a form of “social and economic apartheid” inflicted upon us with this proposed “mangled plan”.
Over many decades we have lobbied for quality transport infrastructure. Nothing less than the complete standardisation and upgrade of the total MBRP is acceptable.
Brian Barry Snr
Manangatang
